Would you rather date Potter or the giant squid?
by Lilyclio
Summary: LJ - OOTP - Chapter 7 up! This is your usual OOTP LilyJames story, and how the hell did they go from hate to love (at least my version of it) Lily's PoV... R&R!
1. Lily's cave

DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX!!!!! IT MIGHT GIVE STUFF AWAY!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters blah blah blah.  
  
Hope you enjoy this; it's my first fanfiction in English.  
  
Lily Evans was sitting next to the lake, watching the giant squid playing in the water. It was her favorite place, just behind some bushes and in the middle of a few rocks. Lily called it her cave, even if it looked nothing like a cave. Nobody ever came there, and she liked to get away from the crowd sometimes. She knew she ought to be studying for her OWLs that were coming very fast, but the idea of going back in the Gryffindor common room was not very appealing. She knew that James Potter and Sirius Black were making the law up there. It had always been that way ever since she had entered Hogwarts. James Potter and Sirius Black were rulers in their own little world, and somehow, everybody seemed to agree to this rule.  
  
She could perfectly imagine the scene in the Gryffindor tower at that very moment. Potter and Black being annoying, Pettigrew watching them like they were gods, and Lupin trying to ignore them, so he wouldn't feel guilty about the fact he was supposed to punish them as a prefect. And, of course, the rest of the common room split between supporters who would do anything to have more, and the others, who wanted to work, but knew that whatever they said, they would be ignored.  
  
Lily had been sitting next to the lake for about an hour. The April sun was setting, and she got up, in order to be back to the castle by dark. She waved her hand to the gamekeeper, Hagrid. She didn't know him very well, but some students were making fun of him, so she wanted him to know that he had at least one friend.  
  
Lily knew what it felt like to be made fun of. She had been bullied while in elementary school when she was younger, but had learned to answer any insults, and by the time she came in Hogwarts, she was impermeable to Potter and Black's attacks. She belonged to the few people who neither admired nor feared Black and Potter. She belonged to the very few girls who wouldn't do anything for a date with James Potter or Sirius Black. She wondered sometimes why they were so popular, but the answer was easy: people were afraid of them. "Better having them on my good side", was what most people seemed to think. That very thought made Lily smile as she reached the castle's main door: Potter and Black were nothing if they weren't mean. Lily was popular because she was being nice.  
  
She sat at the Gryffindor table, next to her friends Jemima and Eleonora (Ellie, as most people called her). They were both reading their Charms lesson; they had a test the next day. Charms was Lily's best class, so she could afford not to study.  
  
After five minutes, Ellie finally seemed to notice that Lily had joined them.  
  
"How. Hi, Lils. You were by the lake again?"  
  
"Yeah," Lily answered with a smile, "I'm trying to make best friends with the giant squid. Doesn't seem to notice me very much, though."  
  
"Lily, you wound me," Jemima said with a smile. "I thought we were your best friends."  
  
"Well, just in case you decide to forget me. It's safer to have some extra friends."  
  
"Speaking of extra friends," Ellie said with a broad smile, "Guess who asked us where you were when we were in the common room?"  
  
Lily stopped smiling. She perfectly knew who had asked after her. Potter had had the new idea that they would be a perfect couple and had tried by all means to get a moment alone with her for two months.  
  
"Don't worry, we didn't tell him," Jemima said seeing Lily's face. "You could kill us if we ever gave away your favorite place."  
  
"Yeah, I really don't know what I would do if Potter of all people knew about the cave. I don't think I could survive in this school one more day."  
  
"Did I hear my name?" said an unpleasant voice behind her.  
  
Lily was very tempted to tell him he had heard wrong, but she just knew it would never be enough to make him go away.  
  
"Yes, you heard your name, Mr. Potter. I was just talking about how happy I will be when you fail your OWLs. Maybe your fans will finally realize how stupid you are."  
  
"Oh! I am wounded," James said with a smile that showed he didn't care at all if he failed all his OWLs. "But maybe then, that will make you admit that you might like me a little bit. Your problem has always been that I have more fans than you, and you are jealous. Once that problem is solved, hopefully you will fall right in my arms."  
  
"That will be the day I die and go to hell, Potter."  
  
"Come on, Evans, you can find a better come back. What's the point of arguing with you if I don't even have a decent enemy?"  
  
But Lily wasn't listening anymore. She knew perfectly that the more she answered, the happiest he would be, so she might as well just stop there.  
  
Potter seemed to get the message and left to seat next to his flavor of the week.  
  
She thought she might finally have a peaceful night when as she was leaving the table, James got up and whispered in her ear: "So, where is this cave of yours?" 


	2. The lesson

Thanks to all my reviewers (Annex (my first reviewer ever), Abigail Nicole, BlueTwilight24, Kinky Kiwi).  
  
I agree with you all, I was so MAD when she killed Sirius! I just stopped reading in the middle of the night (but, of course, I restarted reading as soon as I woke up). It was such a depressing book, wasn't it? Nothing good happened to Harry!  
  
Yes, I made James very mean, but remember, it's exactly what he was in 5th year.  
  
On with the story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
James had whispered so lightly that Lily wasn't sure if she had correctly heard, until she looked in his eyes. He was smiling with anticipation of a new fight. "Well," she decided, "I won't give him that pleasure." She just ignored his comment, and left to go in the common room. Of course, he followed her. It was exactly what she was waiting for. Maybe his friend Lupin had a problem with punishing him for being annoying, but she was a decent prefect. If he even tried to trouble her when she was working, he would have to pay consequences. There was nobody in the common room, which meant nobody to take his defense. That very thought made her smile.  
  
"What are you smiling about Evans? The idea of being alone in a room with me? Or maybe being alone in your cave with me?" he added with a growing smile.  
  
"Potter, if you don't just go away, you're going to regret it," she said surprisingly calmly considering how furious she was.  
  
"Am I supposed to be afraid?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Lily answered, thinking of all the ways she could make him suffer. They entered the common room.  
  
"Now, Lily, you don't mean that. I mean, you're such a nice girl, how could you ever be violent? And, of course, you wouldn't want to make me suffer, of all people. You have been desiring me for so long."  
  
He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Lily turned to him and hit him. well, right where it hurts guys the most. It took him about a second to register the pain, and then he started insulting her.  
  
"You bitch! That hurts so bad! You."  
  
It seemed that he couldn't find a word powerful enough. He was folded in half, trying to lessen the pain. Lily made him stand up and looked in his eyes.  
  
"I tell you what hurts so bad, Potter," she said, angrier than ever. "What hurts me is to have girls coming to see me in tears because they slept with you and you broke up the next day. What hurts them is beyond anything I can think of. So if your little member here hurts so bad, at least that means that you won't be able to hurt a girl for a few days, and this thought makes me very happy."  
  
Saying this, she went to her dorm to take her books and study a little bit. When she came back downstairs, Potter wasn't there anymore, and Ellie and Jemima were waiting for her.  
  
"What did you do to Potter?" Ellie asked. "When we got in the common room, he was looking... a little upset."  
  
"I just felt it was time to teach him a lesson," she smirked.  
  
Ellie and Jemima looked at each other, and decided they didn't want to know what the lesson was about.  
  
Even if she was pretty happy with herself, Lily was still worried about two things. First you never attacked James Potter without retaliation later, and second, Potter had heard of her cave.  
  
For the first problem, she knew that the only solution was to be extra careful for a few days. She knew there was a chance he would not talk about what happened to his friends. They were all so sexist that Potter would completely lose his reputation if he told them he had been attacked by a girl, especially Lily Evans, and especially what she did. That was comforting because she knew then that she had only one to fear, not four. But that was really the only comforting thought. Potter had been known as pulling very good pranks on his own before.  
  
For the second problem, she had no clue what to do. She obviously couldn't go to her cave for a while, since Potter was very likely to follow her. He had the habit of following people without being seen, and Lily had never been able to find out how he did that, so there wasn't much she could do.  
  
She was so mad at herself for being so indiscreet. If she had just talked a little less loud, nothing would have happened. Not that she regretted at all hitting Potter, he had completely deserved it. He really made girls cry. Lily was sure that Potter and Black together had slept with about half of the girls at school. She just didn't understand why girls kept coming to them, and why they were still so popular. "Whatever", she thought. She had been wandering that for years and had never come up with a decent answer, and she probably never would.  
  
Lily went to bed, not without checking three times that there was nothing foreign in it. She had put a spell on the door so that no unauthorized person could enter, but unfortunately, Potter was smart enough to find a counterspell.  
  
She woke up in the middle of the night, and found herself not able to go back to sleep. She went to the window and looked outside. The night was perfectly clear, and the full moon made it easier to see what was going on. At the border of the forbidden forest, a stag and a dog seemed to be playing together. She didn't know that the forest hosted any not magical animals. "Whatever," she thought. The forest was the habitat of so many creatures that she shouldn't be surprised to see new ones. She went back to her bed and final fell asleep. 


	3. Notes passing in Charms

Once again, thanks to all my reviewers: Princess Pixie Ice, EbonyQuill, LadyJessy and Kinky Kiwi.  
  
Also, I'm looking for a beta reader to correct grammar, spelling and non- senses. I'm very bad at finding out what is wrong when I write, so it'd be cool if someone volunteered to help me. You have to be good in English and good at criticizing properly: I want someone who can really tell me what my mistakes are; I really don't need to hear that everything is perfect, that won't bring me anywhere. If you volunteer, just send me a review, I get them all in my e-mail.  
  
Yes, James is a bastard, but once again, that how JK described him, and I know better than doing something JK wouldn't do. And yes, he's gonna become nice someday, I just don't tell when.  
  
Disclaimer (oops, forgot in chapter 2): I don't own anybody from the books, the others are mine (seriously, anybody could see I'm not JK, it's not like I was anything as good as her.)  
  
On with the story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next morning, an unpleasant surprise was waiting for Lily. It seemed that once again, Lupin had managed to skip school with his super "sick mum" excuse. She couldn't believe that nobody in the staff had noticed that his mum was sick exactly once a month. So, once again, she had to manage to take care of the prefect duties on her own. Not that it would make that much difference, though. Lupin was very good at ignoring the most annoying people in the common room, -a.k.a. Potter and Black- and punishing the first and second years who hadn't done anything.  
  
She was pretty tired form her insomnia the night before, but she didn't look anything as bad as Potter, Black and Pettigrew. They were obviously very exhausted.  
  
"Wonder what those three have been doing last night." she thought.  
  
She didn't actually want to find out. If they were tired, whatever the reason, it was the better for her, and they could keep going all they wanted. More tired meant less stupid pranks.  
  
The first class was Charms, with the test they were all waiting for. Ellie and Jemima were furiously studying during breakfast, and Lily didn't get a moment to tell them about the stag and the dog from the night before. Not that it was anything important, though. She just wished there was somebody she could chat with, but it seemed that all the fifth year were studying for that test. Well, all of them except.  
  
"Hello, Evans, did you sleep well?"  
  
Lily cursed herself for wishing for someone to chat with.  
  
"It certainly looks like I slept better than you, Potter. But then, I'm not sure if you slept at all."  
  
"I slept perfectly well for the length of time I actually slept." he answered with a smile. "That wasn't a very long time, though. Now, Evans, why aren't you studying for the Charms test?"  
  
"I don't need to, I'm supersmart," she said with an ironical smile.  
  
"Oh, yeah, how could I forget that? I mean, you beat me in almost every class."  
  
Lily didn't bother to answer. Potter's greatest pride was that he got better grades than her in Transfiguration, and he was the only student who managed to beat her at all.  
  
She couldn't believe how childish that was. Who even cared anymore in fifth year who was first and who was second?  
  
Lily left the Gryffindor table and went up in the Charms classroom. She knew that even if Potter decided to follow her, he wouldn't be annoying in front of a teacher.  
  
"Good morning, Professor Flitwick," she said as she entered the classroom. "Is the test going to be difficult?"  
  
"Well," Flitwick squeaked, "My tests are never difficult enough for you, it seems, Miss Evans, but I daresay this one will be a little more challenging than the others. The OWLs are coming and I have to make the students a little afraid of what's coming so they would study a little harder."  
  
"Mmh. Vicious," Lily said with a smile.  
  
"Vicious, but it works. All the teachers do that Miss Evans. The OWLs are always easier that what we make you think. I count on you not to say this to any student at all, so they won't stop to work hard."  
  
"Count on me, Professor."  
  
As it turned, Lily loved secrets, especially when she was the only one to know them (well, a secret everyone knows is not a secret, it's a rumor.). She was the one people always came to talk to in Hogwarts. She didn't know why, except form the fact the she never repeated them to anybody, not even Ellie and Jemima.  
  
The bell rang and the fifth year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw came in the room. It was very funny to observe them. As the year went by, the kids were whiter and whiter before a test, the pressure of the OWLs being more and more important. Lily was the only one to look perfectly confident (usually, Potter and Black looked confident too, but today, they just looked tired).  
  
She suddenly realized something very worrying. Jemima and Ellie had sat next to each other, and Black and Pettigrew had taken a seat at the same table. That meant that.  
  
"Hello, Evans. It seems that we keep running into each other today, doesn't it?"  
  
Lily usually didn't care when Ellie and Jemima sat together, but that moment, she was mad at them like never. An entire test sitting next to Potter! She was pretty sure that on his side, he had planned this since the beginning, but on her side, Jem and Ellie could have been more careful!  
  
"Potter, I warn you, if you are being the littlest bit annoying, you'll have the exact same punishment as yesterday."  
  
"Oh oh, we are being nasty, aren't we?" he started, but he couldn't say anything more, since Flitwick started to hand in the tests, to Lily's great pleasure.  
  
Weird enough, James behaved himself pretty well during the test. However, as soon as he saw that they were both done, he started passing notes:  
  
James: Hey, there's a Hogsmeade week-end coming. Wanna come with me?  
  
Lily: Burn in hell, Potter  
  
James: Now, Evans, you don't mean that. Plus, I know a lot of girls who could do anything for a Saturday in Hogsmeade with me.  
  
Lily: Then ask those stupid brats to go with you, will you? AND STOP WASTING MY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
James: How do you know that I'm wasting your time if you won't even go out with me once? You try, and you decide if it's worth it! All I ask is one date!  
  
Lily: Once again, I ask you to kindly BURN IN HELL!!!!!! It's where you'll end up anyway, why don't you go right away?  
  
James: I'll go right after our date.  
  
Lily: Are you ever going to give up?  
  
James: I'll give up asking you out when you'll say "Yes".  
  
Lily: I wasn't talking about asking me out. I wanted to know when you'll give up being a stupid little conceited bastard!  
  
This seemed to be enough insults for Potter to leave her alone, and Lily finally enjoyed the rest of Charms alone, drawing on a parchment. 


	4. Angry Lily

Ok, this time, there won't be any thanks to my reviewers, since I just wrote chapter 3!!! Hi hi!  
  
Just so you know, I'm going to be away for a while, but it doesn't mean I forget about my fanfiction!!!! It's just I'm leaving on Friday for 10 days In Washington (state) and British Columbia, then right when I come back, I'll got for three days in Michigan, and after that, I'll have only one week left before I go back to France (yeah, it sucks, my exchange student year's almost over.). Anyway, don't forget me, I'll write more, just not before long.  
  
On with the story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Leaving the Charms classroom, Lily went right to see Ellie and Jemima. They were already talking about how difficult the test had been.  
  
"And Flitwick said that the OWLs would be even more difficult!" Jemima cried.  
  
"More difficult, my butt," Lily thought, remembering what Flitwick had told her before the test. If she hadn't been mad at her friends for leaving her alone with Potter, she might have explained them Flitwick's strategy, but she really wasn't in the mood.  
  
"How did it go for you, Lilster?" Ellie asked.  
  
"How did it go? Do you realize that you both left me sitting alone with Potter for a double class period? With Potter of all people! How in the name of everything that is holy could it go fine?"  
  
"Calm down Lily! We didn't realize until Flitwick passed the test. There wasn't much we could do about it after that, was it? And then, if you really want Potter to leave you alone, just go out with him once, that's all he wants!"  
  
"Jem! How can you even think it will work! A simple date is never enough for James Potter. He's not happy as long as he didn't get you in his bed! THAT'S IT!!!! Potter's entire brain revolves around sex!"  
  
"Well," Ellie said, "You could give him a little more credit, couldn't you? Maybe he wants to change, you know."  
  
"Since when are you on his side? Hello??? He doesn't want to change! Of he did, he would a least stop dating other girls when he asks me out! I mean, what kind of guy is already moving on another girl when he didn't break up with the previous one? Not one that wants to change, I tell you that!"  
  
She turned around and left her friends right where they were. This day simply sucked. They had potions next, with the Slytherins, which wouldn't make things any better. Why the staff kept putting Gryffindor and Slytherin in the same classroom was beyond her. Especially the fifth year. The hatred between the two houses was the strongest in fifth year. Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew seemed in constant war against Snape. They kept picking on him for no reason, and no matter how much Lily didn't like Snape, it infuriated her. She tended to try to help any person who was picked on, and even if Snape kept telling her to mind her own business and called her a mudblood, she didn't plan on stopping any time soon. Especially if it annoyed Potter.  
  
She went down in the cold potions labs, and smiled to the teacher as she entered the room. They only good point was that she liked the teacher. Professor Tonks was a very funny person, and her favorite teacher. He had a little daughter, Nymphadora, who couldn't say her own name, or didn't want to, Lily didn't really know. He brought her very often to the castle, and most people loved the little girl. She was very good at making face.  
  
Another reason why Lily liked Tonks a lot was that he was the only one who seemed to have any authority at all on Potter and Black, besides Dumbledore and McGonagall. However, he didn't need to use detentions or being headmaster to do so. If any of them was distracting the class, all he had to do was raising an eyebrow to stop them right away. Lily had yet to understand this phenomenon.  
  
"Please take your seats. Today, we are going to study the Draught of Peace. This is a very difficult potion to do, so it will require your concentration during the entire class period. I will not tolerate any disruption," he said, directing he eyes on James, Sirius and Snape. "I will take a sample of each of your potions in the end of the class period."  
  
Lily had managed to put her cauldron the further possible from Potter, Black or Snape, so she could actually concentrate. However, it didn't seem to be enough to get Potter out of her mind. Was there any truth in what Jemima and Ellie had said? If she went on one date with Potter, would he finally leave her alone? She glanced at him very fast. He was exchanging looks with Black, which let her think he was already preparing another prank.  
  
"Never mind," she thought, "He will never change."  
  
As usual, she was the first to finish her potion. A silver vapor was issued form her cauldron.  
  
"Excellent, Miss Evans, as usual. Ten points for Gryffindor," he said as she gave him her sample. "You can do whatever you wish for the rest of the class period."  
  
Lily did what she liked to do better, watching people. It was amazing how much you could learn by just watching. Snape was also finishing his potion. He gave his sample to Tonks, and caught her looking at him. He cursed her, and she knew he had called her a mudblood by lip-reading. She turned to look the rest of the people. Jemima was struggling to finish her potion in time. On any normal day, she would have helped her, but she was still a little too mad to do so.  
  
Her gaze fell on Peter Pettigrew who seemed to have even more problems than Jemima. He was trying to catch his friends' attention, but they ignored him superbly. She then turned to Potter, and was surprised to notice he had been looking at her. His eyes moved very quickly, with the obvious look of someone who has just been caught staring. She was rather taken aback by that fact. Potter was usually the kind of guy who would keep looking like nothing was wrong. He had turned back to his paper and started to write very fast. She hopped very hard it wasn't another note, but the end of the period came without any sign form him.  
  
She left the classroom, thinking that it was time to make peace with Jemima and Ellie. Lily was the kind of girl who could get very angry, but never for long. 


	5. A new friend

Ok, I'm writing one more chapter when I know I have the time to do so.  
  
To Oiram: your review was very useful, (a little bit of criticism! Yeah!), but:  
  
I'm sorry for not being so descriptive, but English is not my first language, so my vocab is sometimes limited.  
  
2) There is no way Lily is in love with Sirius. That's it. And Jemima and Ellie are NOT going to date Sirius and Remus (I know you never wrote that, it's just to stop any ideas anybody had). And read this chapter, and you'll see that James isn't going to need to read Lily's diary to find out what she thinks.  
  
Once again, thanks to all my reviewers (I'm not listing the names anymore, takes too much time).  
  
On with the story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
During the following week, Potter found a new girlfriend, told her he loved her, slept with her and then dumped her. The girl then went to Lily and cried for an hour. Lily once again tried to make the girl feel better, and once again failed. Lily tried once again to make the girl hate James Potter, and once again failed that one too.  
  
At any normal time, Lily would have just taken Potter apart and yell at him forever. But this wasn't a normal time. Lily had given up ever changing Potter. She had realized that Potter actually enjoyed having Lily yell at him, and she was mad at herself for not understanding that earlier.  
  
Lily took her books, and went to her cave to be alone a little bit. She started to work on her transfiguration assignment. She had been working for about half an hour when a very weird thing happened. She heard noise at the cave's entrance. She prayed very hard that it wasn't Potter or any of his merry men, and then lifted her eyes. She could not believe what she saw. A stag was looking at her. Lily had known for a long time that all sorts of creatures lived in the forbidden forest, but none had ever approached her so close. Tentatively, she smiled and tried to look friendly.  
  
"Come here. I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
The stag looked at her with a look of intelligence, like he actually understood what she said. She was surprised at first, but then realized she was stupid. If the stag lived in the forest, then of course he had special gifts, and it was very likely that he actually understood every word she said. She smiled again, and the stag approached her.  
  
She wandered what she was supposed to say, and figured that she ought to introduce herself.  
  
"My name is Lily. I'm a student at Hogwarts. I'm in fifth year. And I'm a prefect."  
  
She wished very hard the stag could answer to her. He looked so intelligent that she was sure if he was able to answer, they could have a completely civilized conversation. He looked at all her paper with a questioning look.  
  
"Oh, this is my transfiguration assignment. It's almost impossible to work in the Gryffindor common room, so I come here when I want to work in peace."  
  
The stag gave her another questioning look.  
  
"It's Potter and his merry men. They're a real pain. They think they own the common room, and they keep doing all those stupid pranks on people."  
  
The stag looked at her, very interested. Lily figured that she might as well tell him everything that went through her mind. Jemima and Ellie were tired to listen to her complain about Potter, so she didn't have anybody anymore to talk about how Potter drove her insane.  
  
"Do you want to know more about James Potter? I might as well tell you the entire story. It all starts more than five years ago, went I met him in the Hogwarts express."  
  
(Flashback)  
  
Lily Evans was completely scared. She was in King's Cross station, trying to find the train to go to her new school. The ticket said that the train would be on platform 9 ¾, and Lily was absolutely sure that it did not exist. The entire "witch thing had been one more stupid prank from the people who tortured her at school. She turned around and started to leave the station, when she ran into a teen girl of about 17. She had bright red hair, and was carrying a big trunk, bigger than Lily's. The girl took a fast look at Lily and smiled.  
  
"You are a new student in Hogwarts, and you don't know where you're supposed to go," she said, very confident she was right.  
  
"Well, yes," Lily said, amazed, "How did you guess that?"  
  
"Muggles don't' carry cauldrons around the station for the fun of it. My name is Molly, I'm a seventh year. You are.?"  
  
"Lillian Evans. My friends call me Lily."  
  
"Well, nice to meet you, Lily. I bet that you don't know how to go to Platform 9 ¾. Am I wrong?"  
  
"No," Lily said, relieved like never.  
  
"It's very simple. All you have to do is walk through the barrier. Look there, this student is going to do it."  
  
Lily, stunned, watched a teenager disappear through the barrier. She turned to Molly, with big eyes. She was smiling.  
  
"See? Easy! Your turn now," Molly said.  
  
Lily took a big breath and started to run towards the barrier. At the moment she expected the crash to happen. nothing happened. She opened her eyes, and in front of her was a big, bright red train. The platform was packed with wizards. Lily simply could not believe it. She stood at the same place for a few minutes, just observing. Suddenly, something hit her in the back. She turned around and saw that the something was someone. A boy her age with black messy hair was looking at her. She was ready to yell, but he yelled first.  
  
"Are you insane? Don't stand right after the entrance to the Platform! You're blocking everyone from entering!"  
  
"Well, I see that I didn't block you!" she said, massaging her back. You almost killed me!"  
  
"Well, wouldn't that be too bad," he said ironically.  
  
(End of flashback)  
  
"You see," she told the stag, "Potter and I have hated each other since the very moment we met. And now, he wants to date me! And."  
  
She suddenly stopped. There was noise outside the cave, and that was definitely a human walking.  
  
"I've gotta go!"  
  
She raced to the common room, and went up to her dorm. Jemima and Ellie were talking about Jemima's crush on someone, and how she could get him to date her. At that very moment, Lily decided she wouldn't tell them anything about the stag. They would want to see him, and Lily wasn't sure she would ever see him again. 


	6. Tutoring at dawn

OK, everybody, I'm back! I'm sorry it took me so long, but with all the packing I had to do, plus the getting used to France again, plus going on vacation etc., I didn't have much time to think about this fic.  
  
I know it's a bit too late, but I want to dedicate this story to Eriam, a person that everybody should know, and Shelly, another person that everybody should know. Eriam wrote one review, that probably nobody understood, since it was all in French, and Shelly. Well Shelly doesn't write reviews, but she always tells me what she thinks, so it's OK. Also, I want everybody to know that Ellie has been inspired by one of the best friends I ever had, and Jemima is inspired by Jemima Pitt, a character for the "Charlotte and Thomas Pitt" series, from Anne Perry (but watch out, they don't have exactly the same way of thinking.)  
  
Once again, I forgot the disclaimer a few time, so consider it said for every time I forgot: I don't own anything! Everything belongs to JK and NOT to Warner Bros, since JK is THE one who invented everything.  
  
Once again, thanks to all my reviewers.  
  
Also, I need help. I once read a story about Oliver Wood and Katie Bell and I can't find it, I forgot to put it in my favorites. In that story, Oliver and Katie sleep together when they're drunk, and when they realize it the next day, they just don't talk to each other again. The problem is that Katie is pregnant, and she doesn't tell it to Oliver. The daughter's name is Sydney. If anybody could give me the story number or the title or the author, I would dearly appreciate it.  
  
Beta reader note:  
  
Hi I'm so glad to be your beta reader my name Caitlin and I live in Nashville Tn and am 15 I am in ap English and I love harry potter!  
  
On with the story.  
  
**************  
  
Ellie and Jemima looked up when Lily entered the room.  
  
"Were you at your cave again?"  
  
"Yeah. I figured it would be good for my nerves to escape the common room for a moment. I don't know how much more of James Potter I'll be able to put up with."  
  
"Well, this afternoon, you could have stayed here for a bit. It seems like Potter deserted the common room," Jemima remarked. "But anyway, there's no point in discussing such an as**ole."  
  
Lily smiled. Potter's last girlfriend had told her story to Ellie and Jemima as well, and they seemed to have discovered that Lily was actually right about him. They promised to do everything possible to keep him away from her. Lily sat on Jemima's bed and listened to the conversation going on. A girl's talk was exactly what she needed at the moment: something where the mind effort would be minimal.  
  
"So Lily, what do you think about Jeremy Abbott?" Jemima said with a smile.  
  
"Jeremy Abbott? Haven't you been saying for two weeks that you did NOT have a crush on him?" Lily smirked.  
  
"Well, it looks like even I can be wrong sometimes," Jemima giggled.  
  
They spend the rest of the afternoon discussing the good and bad things about Jeremy Abbott.  
  
The next day, a Monday, Lily was woken up by Ellie who looked like Christmas had been canceled.  
  
"Lily, you HAVE to help me!"  
  
"What time is it?" she asked. She didn't remember ever being so tired.  
  
"It's 4:30 am. Get UP!"  
  
"What! Someone gives me back Ellie! Since when do you get up so early?"  
  
"I didn't finish the transfiguration essay! And it's due today! I completely forgot about it when we were talking with Jemima yesterday. McGonagall will never allow me to turn it in later, I've already done it three time this year!"  
  
Lily got up, cursing her friends for counting on her so much, and cursing herself for liking her friends so much that she actually helped them like that when they asked her.  
  
"And pray, tell me," Lily asked, "Why is it that you remember NOW that you have to finish this essay?"  
  
"I think my guardian angel, or my good star, or whatever takes care of me decided to wake me up at 4 am and tell me I had an essay to finish."  
  
"Yeah, right. I think it was your conscience."  
  
"My conscience what?" Ellie asked, confused.  
  
"You conscience woke you up" Lily said.  
  
They both got dressed, and by 5 am, time at which the library opened, they were both at the door.  
  
Lily had never been so early at the library. She had often wondered why Mrs. Pince bothered to ask an house elf to take care of it so early in the morning, but she now understood why.  
  
They were all alone. They chose their favorite table, isolated, and Lily got up to take a book. She set on the table "Everything you always wanted to know about Animagi, and never dared to ask", by Ike Anchange. The book opened at the first page, and she blinked. The book had been checked out very often, and by very unusual persons.  
  
Name of borrower Date due back  
  
S. Black 12 April  
  
J. Potter 20 April  
  
P. Pettigrew 28 April  
  
R. Lupin 6 May  
  
S. Black 14 May  
  
The list kept going and going. They had started borrowing the book at a constant rate the previous year, and they had suddenly stopped. four months ago, Lily counted.  
  
Lily sighed. She had promised herself she would avoid Potter at any cost, and trying to find out why this phenomena happened would only draw her to him. She turned the page very fast, just before Ellie joined her with more books. Lily knew her friend. She would do anything possible to understand what was going on.  
  
"So," she said, trying not to think of Jemima who was still sleeping in their dorm, "How much of your essay have you written so far?"  
  
For half an hour, Lily explained to Ellie everything she knew about Animagi. Thankfully, Ellie was a fast learner, and Lily didn't have to repeat anything twice. After a little while, Ellie started to write her essay, and Lily left to wonder in the library, one of her favorite activities. Approaching the other side of the library, she heard hushed voices. She smiled. It was good to know she wasn't the only one up at that time of the day. She approached slowly to find out who it was. She was stunned to see James Potter and Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Peter, for the last time, it is impossible to use "Accio" to attract somebody's wand. Wands are protected by a special charm, and only "Experliarmus" can work with them."  
  
Lily recognized what they were talking about. The last Charms essay was "Find and explain the difference between the Charms and Curses used in fighting, and their equivalent in normal life." She would normally have been surprised to see that anybody in 5th year couldn't make the difference between "Experliarmus" and "Accio", but she was more surprised to see Potter helping someone one homework. She shook herself and walked away. It wouldn't do her any good if Potter found her spying on him.  
  
She went to check if Ellie needed any help, only to find that she had finished the essay. Lily sighed, thinking of all the hours of sleep that had just been wasted. Ellie didn't care, since she could sleep anywhere, any time, but Lily knew she couldn't go back to bed. Instead, she went to the prefect bathroom. At this time of the day, she was sure nobody would be there. What she needed was a long hot bath with a lot of bubbles. 


	7. Riddled News

OK, I know, I suck at updating often, but I just started two other stories (one about Sirius and the other is a translation of a French fic) so I get pretty busy.  
  
As of today, this chapter has not been beta read, so I'm sorry for the grammar and spelling mistakes.  
  
Once again, thanks to all my reviewers.  
  
On with the story.  
  
**************  
  
It is unbelievable how much good a hot bath with bubbles can do. Lily got into the bath, lied there and closed her eyes. She wondered if she had ever felt that good. It was worth being a prefect just for the bathroom. She didn't really know how long she stayed there, not moving. It could have been five minutes or five hours. Another good thing with the prefect bathroom was that it was duplicated for every single prefect. Nobody could enter and see her naked, or bother her. Nobody except.  
  
"Who is here at this time of the day?" a voice said.  
  
Lily jumped and turned around.  
  
"Myrtle!" she cried. "Never ever do that again to me! She scared the hell out of me!"  
  
"Oh, oh," Moaning Myrtle smirked, "You must have been almost sleeping for you to swear. What were you dreaming about? Or, should I say, who?"  
  
Lily suddenly realized she had actually been dreaming of someone and blushed - even if there was actually nothing to blush about.  
  
"That's none of your business!"  
  
"Oh, of course you won't tell me anything, nobody ever tells anything to boring Moaning Myrtle. Do you really think I don't know why nobody ever comes in my bathroom? They'd rather go on the other side of the castle than see annoying Moaning Myrtle."  
  
Lily sighed and got out of the bath. She very well knew Myrtle wouldn't leave any time soon, and she'd better go to breakfast. She turned her eyes to the clock to see how much time she had to eat, and almost had a heart attack. Class had started ten minutes earlier!  
  
"Oh, no!" she cried, putting her clothes on the fastest possible.  
  
She rushed down the hallway and the staircases. Hopefully, the first class was potions, and she had a remote chance to get away with being late. However, what she dreaded was what Potter would say. He never missed a chance to make fun of her for being a goody two shoes, and knowing him, he would more than enjoy her being late today.  
  
"Oh, damn you, Potter!" she thought. "You manage to drive me insane even when you're not here!"  
  
She rushed into the Potion classroom, and immediately turned to Tonks.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Professor, I forgot the time," she managed to say, breathless.  
  
"It's OK, Miss Evans, just have a seat. Class was just about to start."  
  
Lily turned to the class and relief almost overwhelmed her. Potter and Co weren't anywhere in sight. Ellie had saved her a seat.  
  
"Woaa, Lily, I almost felt guilty for waking you up so early. Did you fall asleep after the library?" she asked.  
  
"Sorta. I went to the prefect bathroom, and almost fell completely asleep. Moaning Myrtle woke me up ten minutes ago."  
  
"Moaning Myrtle?" Jemima said, joining the conversation. "It doesn't sound like her to be that nice."  
  
"Actually, she probably didn't mean to be nice. She must have thought I would be annoyed if she woke me up in the middle of a comfortable bath. It did annoy me at first. But anyway," she added, starting to mix the ingredients for the potion, "did I miss anything interesting at breakfast?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, you did," Ellie answered, suddenly serious. "You must have noticed somebody's missing from class, haven't you?"  
  
"I have, and I am utterly relieved. What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Nobody really knows," Jemima said. "We were all having breakfast, and he and his merry men were obviously having some fun, when an owl came for him. He read the letter, stopped smiling, and what right up to the dorm. His friends followed him, and we haven't seen him all morning. We know Lupin went to see McGonagall, and she looked very concerned too. It looks like they have been allowed to miss class today. "  
  
"Woaa," Lily said, really impressed. McGonagall allowing people to miss class was very rare. "And pray, tell me, how do you know all that?"  
  
"Potter's flavor of the week was sitting next to him when it happened, and since she was dumped half an hour later - by owl - she got revenged by telling the story all around the common room - which is, if you ask me," Jemima added, "very mean. I mean, he must be pretty down, how often does it happen that James Potter doesn't show up all morning? I know, Ellie, the morning is not over yet! " she added, rolling her eyes. "As for the part where they're allowed to miss class, Lupin told us when he came back from McGonagall's."  
  
"You mean he actually talked to you?" Lily said, amazed. "He never talks to me, and I'm his fellow prefect!"  
  
"See? This was a weird morning," Ellie said, "You shouldn't fall asleep in the prefect's bathroom!"  
  
"Was there anything interesting in the paper?" Lily asked, hopeful.  
  
"Nothing. We thought about it, but there is nothing that could explain anything. Or maybe, if he has muggle family? There were a couple muggle attacks last week."  
  
"No," Ellie said, "Potter's a pureblood."  
  
They went back to their potion, and finished it in silence. All morning, as much as she told herself she didn't care about Potter, she couldn't help wondering what had happened to him.  
  
She found out the answer faster than she thought. A special prefect meeting was organized that day right before lunch. Dumbledore was there, which led everybody to think something really bad had happened. The head boy and head girl, next to him, looked pretty worried as well.  
  
"My dear students, I'm afraid I have bad news for you. As you know, lots of muggle attacks have happened those past days. Yesterday, though, wizards have been hurt as well."  
  
At those words, a shiver went through the students. The Gryffindor prefects, knowing what had happened to James Potter, looked even more worried.  
  
"Aurors had word of an attacked planned yesterday, and they went in order to try to prevent it. They have been, however, outnumbered. Most of them have been hurt, some seriously. There are, thankfully, no victims, wizards or muggles."  
  
Dumbledore's gave went through the students.  
  
"The reason why I brought you here is because I want to warn you. The ministry thinks that a danger is growing. More and more attacks happen. We don't know yet who is responsible for them, but we have to be very careful. As prefects, your task is going to increase, as always in times of troubles. Watch your students. Don't do anything rash. And tell them that more than ever, (his gaze went on Lupin) it is dangerous to leave school anytime other than the Hogsmeade week-ends. This is all I have to say. Any questions?"  
  
Lily's hand went up.  
  
"Yes, Miss Evans?"  
  
"Why didn't we hear about this attack in the paper?"  
  
"The ministry doesn't want the wizard community to panic, and wanted to go further in the inquiries before talking about this incident in the paper. I personally don't think it's right, but I must ask you anyway to be discreet about this information for the time being. Any other question?"  
  
Lily's hand went up again.  
  
"Could we know who were the wizards involved yesterday?"  
  
All the prefects held their breath at that moment. It was the question they all wanted, but didn't dare to ask. Dumbledore simply smiled.  
  
"I'm afraid, Miss Evans, that I can't answer your question. If there isn't any other question, you can all leave."  
  
The prefects all got up and left to the great hall, all wondering what exactly had happened that night.  
  
Just before she entered the great hall, Lupin held her back.  
  
"Evans."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just wanted to make sure one thing. You probably connected the dots, and you know someone James knows was hurt yesterday."  
  
"Thank you for thinking I am not completely stupid," Lily answered, coolly. "Could you please get to the point? I'm hungry."  
  
"Just don't give him any hard time. Don't pick on him when he doesn't deserve it, OK?"  
  
And, with those words, he left, leaving Lily stunned. She went to grab some food, and left right away.  
  
"Where are you going?" Jemima called.  
  
"I need to be alone for a moment. I'll see you in class."  
  
She ran to her cave. This morning had been very weird, as Ellie said earlier. First, in the library - it looked so far away now -, then Potter's scene, and now what she had learned in the prefect meeting.  
  
As she finally made it to her cave, she was stunned to see what was in it. The stag was here again. 


End file.
